1) How did you get started in IT?From a really early age, I was always into computers. I remember being an over excited youngster when we received our first computer a Toshiba MSX, I secretly wanted a Sinclair Spectrum ZX with rubber keyboard, but I won’t dwell on that!

I suppose you could call me a late developer as I took my first step into IT at the age of 30, perhaps it was an early midlife crisis? Before this I had always been involved with computers and the industry generally, but it wasn’t my full time career.

I started in first line support, which lasted less than a couple of months before I was escalated to second line support, during this time I hit the studying hard and achieved my MCSE. This was a massive turning point and ultimately helped me get into third line support and then that’s when things stepped into over drive as I had found my true calling in life, architecting and implementing infrastructure solutions.

2) How long have you been using VMware products and which VMware products do you have deployed?Crikey, I originally started using VMware Server 2.0 which allowed me to create VM’s to aid my studying towards the MCSE.

I have always been enthusiastic about what virtualisation could do and this was compounded by working alongside various colleagues who deployed ESX 3.5 and thought I need to get involved with this! Just over a couple of years ago I had the opportunity to do my first vSphere 4.0 installation that was it, I was hooked.

3) What need were you looking to address with virtualization and why did you chose VMware?This may sound corny, but what I find really cool is using IT to meet business needs and virtualisation is awesome for doing this. Whether this is talking about high availability, energy saving with distributed power management, or everyone’s favourite subject DR.

4) What is the one VMware feature that you couldn’t live without?That’s easy the ability to transport servers (virtual machines) from one infrastructure to another with only two files, VMDK and VMX, pure class!

5) What’s the coolest thing that you’ve done with your VMware environment?It’s got to be a vSphere Metro Storage Cluster using VSA’s to create network RAID. I mean how amazing is taking a couple of HP Microservers and being able to build an enterprise infrastructure?

6) How has VMware helped you become an IT Rockstar in your organization?I wouldn’t call myself a rockstar perhaps someone who continuously ‘bangs’ on about how wicked VMware is via whatever medium is around them, I have been called ‘Rolf Harris’ by colleagues due to my desire to grab a whiteboard marker and draw diagrams out at any opportunity, if that counts?

7) What’s one piece of advice that you would give someone starting down the virtualization road?Have a very understanding wife!

Seriously, know your networking and storage ‘onions’. Without either of these, you will find it difficult to work with virtualisation as these are essentially the foundations.

Spend time with peers and also the VMware community, you will be amazed at how many people will give you there time to tell you about experiences they have had and issues they have overcome.

8) What is next for your VMware deployment?It’s strange that the more I learn about VMware’s suit of products, the more I feel I don’t know! On a personal level I want to go for the VCAP-DCD and VCAP-DCA, however from a practical perspective it will most likely be View.

9) How has VMware changed your typical IT day?Massively, if I cast my mind back to the solutions that used to be widely available, they were cumbersome to deploy new servers and I don’t want to start talking about how painful DR was. Now it’s a given that these things can be automated, that is the power of VMware. It’s what I find that everyone wants to talk about (or maybe that’s just me!)

10) What is your favorite IT Hero quote?Not sure about an IT Hero quote, but a wise man once said to me ‘if it’s to be it’s up to me’. Oh and for good measure we should use the word ‘boom’ more!